"Battle for Bastogne" Topic

Interesting summary.

"On the 16th of December 1944 the Germans launched a last offensive against the fast moving allied forces on the Western Front. No fewer than 24 German Divisions were involved in the attack. The purpose of the German offensive was to force a breakthrough in the Ardennes which would divide the allied troops in two and then to move towards Antwerp. The allies were completely surprised by the German attack and from 16 to 20 December the German troops advanced towards Stavelot, Sankt Vith, Houffalize and Bastogne. Bastogne was a crucial hub in the Ardennes for traffic, which controlled the north – south and east – west routes. Eisenhower realized the strategic value of the Bastogne cross roads and sent the 101st Airborne Division to the town. The city had to be held at all cost. On 20 December Bastogne had been surrounded by the Germans. They employed all possible efforts to conquer the town, which led to the Battle for Bastogne. The deceleration the German progress suffered from because of the Battle for Bastogne proved to be crucial for the further development of the offensive.

Eisenhower immediately estimated the attack in the Ardennes to be very serious. The Germans would not be allowed to reach Antwerp and separate the allied forces from each other. All reserves had to be sent to the Ardennes. But the only armored and infantry reserves of any substance Eisenhower could apply in Europe was the British XXX Corps. In September they had been the ground troops that formed the arrow head of Operation Market Garden. But XXX Corps alone Eisenhower estimated to be not sufficient to stop the German attack. The 87th Infantry Division and the 17th Airborne Division were called up, but still had to come over from England. It would therefore require valuable time before they could possibly participate in the battle. So Eisenhower applied airborne troops. The 101st and the 82nd Airborne Divisions would have to defend Bastogne. Bastogne was a city with high strategic value in the Ardennes. It was an important crossroads and ideal for troop movements. If the Germans would succeed to conquer and held Bastogne, they could simply move their troops and armored cars.

The town had be kept in the hands of the allies. The weather however was too bad to allow for an air dropping operation. That's why the two divisions had be moved by truck. Each and every allied truck in Belgium was ordered to get over to the barracks where the divisions were housed. The men were carried towards their destination in open trucks. During the ride there was foggy, drizzling rain which cooled the men down to an incredible level. Also the trucks drove towards the Belgium border with their headlights switched on. In spite of the diminished power of the Luftwaffe, this remained a dangerous bet. If only one single aircraft would have noticed the column, a disaster would have ensued. But the trucks had to get to Bastogne in as little time as possible and that was only achieved significantly faster with headlights on…"
Full article (4pages)here
link

Amicalement
Armand

"NUTS".

Thanks Armand!

Charlie

A votre service mon ami! (smile)

Amicalement
Armand